England has the early edge in Group F after Slovenia fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Lithuania.
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England struggled to shrug off familiar problems, controlling the game without looking like winning it even after Slovakia defender Martin Skrtel was dismissed for stamping on Harry Kane in the 57th minute.
Allardyce said: “Mine and Wayne’s relationship, as we grow, will always be to promote him as captain, but first and foremost to make sure he’s playing his best football”.
What would have become of the coin had Lallana not swept home his first global goal with virtually the last kick of the game is uncertain. “I opened the door and found the jersey of Sterling with the captain’s armband of Rooney”. “Why should Slovakia go there, when we have England in the group?”
Sam Allardyce admitted his overriding emotion was one of relief after Adam Lallana’s stoppage-time goal secured victory in the manager’s first match in charge to kickstart England’s World Cup qualification campaign.
Allardyce will know this better than anyone and not until Russian Federation 2018 will anyone be truly able to tell – unless England’s pattern of play changes radically and they turn into a team of incisiveness and beauty – whether he can inspire his team to greater things than Hodgson and a raft of other managers who came before.
It was Liverpool’s Adam Lallana who saved the day, with a strike that went through the legs of the Slovakian goalkeeper. England’s players complained the ball had been played to him by substitute Filip Kiss, but replays indicated the ball grazed Sturridge’s studs on the way through and the officials were right to disallow the goal.
Allardyce, meanwhile, revealed an unlikely source of inspiration during his post-match press conference when he showed reporters a “lucky coin” he had been given before the game.
“I put pressure on myself to score goals and I knew it was only a matter of time”, he told ITV.
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“I had a few chances tonight”. He made it very clear to us that he wanted to keep a clean sheet away from home in a World Cup qualifier. “We have dominated the game and in the end got a very important win”. Credit to the lads, we’ve worked hard since the new manager has come in and it’s a great start.
